| The original EARTHLIGHT DVD received some glowing
reviews, which you can read on this page. EARTHLIGHT SPECIAL EDITION
has won even more praise, and we will add these reviews shortly. Want to become an EARTHLIGHT reviewer? We'd like to get your
comments, impressions, and insights on either version of the EARTHLIGHT DVD (or on the
EARTHLIGHT VHS video) for possible publication on this page. Please send your
reviews to millreef@earthdvd.com.
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Viewer reviews
Online reviews
Press reviews
Viewer reviews
Earthlight is the most profound,humbling
and moving production I have ever seen. I have just watched the whole of
it from start to finish and need I say that deep emotion for our planet
came upon me. I wish that Dr Carl Sagan could have seen your production.
The music is beautiful and at one point I thought I detected earth
sounds. I have a CD called "Wellbeing" which is an exclusive
by Time Life and it needs a video like Earthlight to go with it! Good
luck to you and the team. --Brian Clark, Fife, Scotland
We are really enjoying Earthlight
Special Edition. The screen saver is wonderful. My husband
is an Earth Science teacher and is absolutely awed by the DVD that he
got me for Christmas. --The Messners
I was amazed at the views and the quality of the images
on this DVD. I could not have imagined the Earth to look so beautiful. I like
the sound track so much that I'll play it when I go to bed. Thank you! --Eddie
Castillanes
I have just received my copy of EARTHLIGHT DVD and
I must send you my congratulations. I was very eager on getting the disc soon after
it was announced and I am not disappointed. The picture quality is amazing and the
interactive menues make it a real gem. I enjoy the German subtitles; the spelling is
absolutely correct. I didn't expect this from an American product. ;-) Please
keep on the good work. Earthlight is a must-see to demonstrate my friends the power
and features of DVD. Also I like it because it has no country-code. Many
Greetings from Germany/Europe. -- Alexander Lange, Germany
What a great use of DVD technology and with an amazing
sound track as well! It is a great piece to play to relax and unwind and wonder
about the possibilities of space flight. Some of the most breathtaking Shuttle
pictures I have seen, and to see them in such high-resolution clarity, WOW! All I
hope is that I don't wear out my player leaving it on all the time playing EARTHLIGHT. --
Jay Strycker, Golden Dome New Media
Thanks for terrific production. The contents of the disk and the screensavers are a
joy. Big kudos to the designers of the disk installation program as well. It
is seldom that an installation is so informative and considerate of one's hard disk
space. I wish others would take example. -- Cary Davison, Miami, FL
Watching this DVD is like looking out of the
Space Shuttle window! -- Derek Leath, St. Louis, MO
Loved Volume 1. Would have liked to see
more overland views, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, pyramids, etc. When do you
expect to have Volume 2 ready? -- Bob Williams
Online reviews
DVD Resource
DVDTown
TEAM
DVD
Press reviews
Home Theater Buyer's
Guide
Playboy
San Francisco
Chronicle
Miami Herald
Digital Eyes
Video Store Magazine
The Laser Disc
Newsletter
HOME THEATER BUYER'S GUIDE
By Gary Frisch
Vice President Gore would like to see a cable channel that shows
nothing but the Earth as seen from space, 24 hours a day. Sure, whatever. But maybe he'll
settle for this disc, the first marketed as both a DVD and a DVD-ROM. On your television,
it serves resplendent views of our big blue marble set to an original, 5.1-channel New Age
score.
Of course, if the scrolling images captured by the space shuttle don't lull you to
sleep, the music certainly will, and that's the point. This is to video what Collage
is to music, a stress reliever that welcomes the weary viewer. Its 80-minute running time
is divided among 28 views of Earth, each corresponding to a locator map. There are also
five "virtual albums" of music and images, which run two-and-a-half hours but
can be looped for nonstop relaxation. On your DVD-ROM-equipped computer, these images can
be used as full-motion, razor-sharp screen savers, or you can download high-resolution
still pictures and short video clips as files. More images are available free by visiting
a Web site. Just think of the potential to de-stress at the office.
Complementing their other-wordly images of the world, the folks at DVD International
thoughtfully included subtitles in eight languages, including Russian, German, and Korean.
But try not to use them--if you're reading what you're looking at, you're not getting the
desired effect.
PLAYBOY
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND
If your childhood dream of becoming an astronaut hasn't come true, here's the next best
thing. Earthlight, a hybrid DVD and DVD-ROM (it can be played
on DVD players and personal computers), contains 80 minutes of newly released NASA footage
of Earth shot from the space shuttle. As a viewer, you'll be 200 miles high, watching the
world as you listen to beautiful music. Just click the mouse to find out what you're
looking at and to learn about space shuttle missions.
SAN FRANCISCO
CHRONICLE
A
STUNNING PANORAMA OF EARTH
'Hybrid' disc takes viewers into orbit
by Harry Somerfield
Those "early adopters" with
either a DVD (digital versatile disc) player in their home theater system or a DVD-ROM
drive in their computer will be interested in a new release from Mill Reef Entertainment,
called "Earthlight."
Other readers may consider the release of
"Earthlight" a watershed event, and sufficient reason to purchase a DVD player
or DVD-ROM computer drive.
For those who have been away, the DVD is the latest
evolution of the compact disc (CD). It's the same size (5-1/4 inches in diameter) and
shape, but can hold full-length movies on just one of its two sides.
As with CD-ROM, DVD-ROM discs are used to hold computer
programs, games or multimedia material (video, audio, stills, etc.) and offer a great deal
more capacity than their CD-ROM predecessors.
Discs that contain materials designed for play in both a
home-theater-type player and a computer's optical-disc drive are referred to as
"hybrid" discs. Hybrid CD/CD-ROM discs have proven to be useful for distributing
a variety of information and data.
HYBRID DVD PLAYERS
"Earthlight" is the first hybrid DVD/DVD-ROM
disc that I have seen. It contains extraordinary video footage of Earth shot from the
space shuttle. The surrealistic images of our big blue marble are accompanied by soothing
music.
That brief summary of Earthlight is like calling
"Titanic" just another movie.
Regular readers of this column know that I'm not a big
believer in the "convergence" of the home entertainment and computer worlds. I
insist that no one will watch movies on a computer monitor, nor will people balance their
checkbook, write letters or work with spreadsheets on the 50-inch TV in their living room.
However, the convergence of software is beginning to make sense to me.
"Earthlight," for example, can be viewed on
that big-screen set in the living room, and then dropped in a computer's DVD drive in the
family room for more in-depth looks at where the space shuttle has been.
The DVD section is excellent entertainment; the DVD-ROM
section is more of a reference volume. This disc is so jam packed with images and data
that six or eight hours would be required to explore it completely.
The images on the disc were selected from thousands of
hours of digital video that were downloaded to the Johnson Space Center directly from a
space shuttle in flight.
The DVD section of "Earthlight" contains 28
outtakes, which range in length from 40 seconds to more than seven minutes, plus maps and
other data. Each video segment has been set to music, which is stored on the disc in full
5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound.
The 28 segments can be viewed from start to finish in
about 80 minutes, or one at a time -- you choose the order.
The disc also can be configured into five prepackaged
"virtual albums" that take about 2-1/2 hours to play, due to planned transitions
and the addition of other data. Or the disc can be set to play over and over in a
continuous loop.
A few of the fabulous sights stored on the
"Earthlight" disc include: the Red Sea from 187 miles up; a hurricane near the
Dominican Republic; a huge storm off the Oregon coast; the MIR space station, up close and
personal with the South Pacific in view 243 miles below; a wonderful night shot of the
lights of U.S. East Coast cities spread like diamonds on a black velvet carpet; a bird's
eye view of the Rock of Gibraltar from 231 miles up; day turning into night as the shuttle
floats above the Caspian Sea; and the Mars-like red desert terrain as Morocco, Mauritania
and Mali pass below.
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Push a button and on-screen subtitles can be activated to
tell you what area of the planet is in view. The subtitles are available in eight
languages: English, French, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Italian, German and Korean.
A computer equipped with a DVD-ROM drive has access to
all the above, plus additional goodies, including a bonus collection of stills and video
clips that can be configured into screen savers. A program is included that allows
manipulation of the images and the addition of images of your own. The video clips can be
configured to play with or without music or as randomly selected images.
"Earthlight" can be found in most record or
software stores and carries a suggested retail price of less than under $30.
Copyright © 1998 by Harry Somerfield. All rights
reserved.
Back to top
MIAMI HERALD
DIGITAL VIDEO OF EARTH GIVES AN ASTRONAUT'S VIEW
By Roy Bassave
Herald Staff Writer
As a 10-year-old, I dreamed of one day orbiting the Earth and seeing what John Glenn saw.
Little did I know that 30 years later, I'd be able to do just that -- via DVD.
In recent months, DVD and DVD-ROM technology has taken off. While early releases in the
new format concentrated on movies, we're starting to see special-interest DVDs, too.
Case in point: Earthlight, featuring never-before-seen digital video of the Earth shot
from the space shuttle and set to original 5.1-channel AC-3 Dolby Surround Sound
instrumental music, takes DVD to a new level of technology and entertainment. Created by
Mill Reef Entertainment and NB Digital Solutions, Earthlight brings digital video of the
Earth to both DVD players and personal computers.
Earthlight's basic sequence of 28 Earth views runs for 80 minutes. Its five ``virtual
albums'' of music average 25 to 30 minutes each. Viewers can also select ``play all
albums'' to listen to and watch all in sequence, about 2 1/2 hours, or ``continuous loop''
for Earthlight to play endlessly.
In DVD-Video mode, viewers can choose geographical subtitles from among eight languages:
English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, German or Korean. As a DVD-ROM,
Earthlight adds 30 high-resolution video screen-savers and a bonus collection of NASA
photos of the Earth from space.
The term ``screen-saver'' does not really do justice to this feature of Earthlight.
Forget those flying toasters and other cute After Dark displays; anyone who sees
Earthlight's brilliant, razor-sharp, full-motion video on a computer screen is amazed by
the difference. (No software conflicts came into play while it was being tested.)
This DVD-ROM could qualify as computer-user therapy. When you're stressed out, take an
Earthlight break, relaxing from 200 miles above the Earth, lulled by beautiful music as
you watch the world float by.
Earthlight
Category: Special interest.
Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Computer used: Compaq Presario 4860, 333 MHz, with 64 MB RAM.
Web site: www.earthdvd.com
PC minimum system requirements: Pentium 90 or better, 16MB RAM, VGA card with 256 colors,
color monitor, DVD-ROM drive, sound card and speakers, 28.8 baud modem (optional, for
downloading new video and pictures), mouse, Windows 95.
DVD player option: Any DVD player, as marketed by Pioneer, Toshiba, Sony or RCA, will play
this product.
Estimated selling price, manufacturer: $30; Mill Reef Entertainment.
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VIDEO STORE MAGAZINE
EARTHLIGHT
This is an example of DVD's brave new world. It is 80 minutes of NASA footage
showing the Earth from space, set to digital music. You can set it on a loop and use
it as living room background. Or it can be installed as a computer
screensaver. It will score high on the "cool" scale. -- Kevin Bass
Back to top
DIGITAL EYES
EARTHLIGHT
One of the most interesting developments in the early life of DVD have been a number of
interesting true-life projects. Recently, the outstanding, multi-lingual Africa: The
Serengeti was rereleased with impeccable quality, and now on its heels, we find the
majestic Earthlight, a DVD that combines relaxing music to the lovely images of planet
Earth.
Earthlight consists of brilliant, high resolution photography from NASA missions of Earth,
looking at everything from the soothing sight of the planet at night, to the deceptive
placidity of hurricanes photographed from high above. The disc is highlighted with a
easy-to-use menu system, which beyond the normal track selection, features
"albums" of different tracks of similar theme; you can also play the disc as a
continuous loop for a restful interlude.
In addition to these features, the DVD is also DVD-ROM enabled, with such features as a
built-in screensaver function and a bonus collection of high-resolution NASA images. All
in all, a very ambitious disc, and one worth your consideration to add to your collection.
Back to top
THE LASER DISC NEWSLETTER
An image music program created exclusively for DVD,
EARTHLIGHT has been released by Mill Reef Entertainment (DVD10813, $30). It contains
80 minutes of NASA-supplied video footage of the Earth as seen from the Space Shuttle
(there is one segment depicting the Mir, but for the rest the camera points at Earth) set
to an unobtrusive and pleasant musical score by Ryan Shore.
The picture quality is very good. The stereo
surround sound is a bit bland, but the Dolby Digital surround soundtrack is excellent with
a strong bass and crisp dimensional effects.
What sets the program apart is its innovative use of the
DVD format. It is divided into 28 chapters and through the menu offers subsets of
the complete program, so that with one click you can watch just the sequences depicting
oceans, deserts, etc. There is also a menu selection for various levels of
continuous play.
By toggling on the subtitle function you can access map
locations to tell you what you are looking at (the map locations are available in English,
French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Korean) and what direction the
camera is heading. You can also access a map that shows the actual path of each
sequence. Additionally, there are production credits containing information about
how the program was created and a profile of Shore.
The DVD is apparently also designed for play on DVD-ROM
systems and offers extra material in that format including NASA still photos and
screensavers. |
